Hi all. I'm trying to tackle the dreaded E chord and wondered if any of you can suggest some good practice songs. I always find learning songs is the best way to practice. Having read Sticky's thread, I'm going with the 1402 version of the E chord. Just need to put it into action.

robinboyd

12-29-2016, 09:19 AM

Well, I try to avoid 1402 if possible, but there is one song that forced me to use it. Try 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins. http://www.ukulele-tabs.com/uke-songs/smashing-pumpkins/1979-uke-tab-19.html
I experimented with this song a bit, and I play F#m instead of F#m7, though. Not only is it easier to play, I think it sounds better.

kypfer

12-29-2016, 09:46 AM

Hi all. I'm trying to tackle the dreaded E chord and wondered if any of you can suggest some good practice songs. I always find learning songs is the best way to practice. Having read Sticky's thread, I'm going with the 1402 version of the E chord. Just need to put it into action.

Hate to be a damp squib in this season of festivity, but I have to ask the question ... "WHY?"

Awkward keys are why capos were invented. For the same reason guitarists stay away from the key of B ... it's uncomfortable to play easily.

Put a capo on the second fret, play using D shapes and get on with life ... :music:

Tootler

12-29-2016, 10:39 AM

Hate to be a damp squib in this season of festivity, but I have to ask the question ... "WHY?"

Awkward keys are why capos were invented. For the same reason guitarists stay away from the key of B ... it's uncomfortable to play easily.

Put a capo on the second fret, play using D shapes and get on with life ... :music:

I get what you're saying and most of the time, that would be my solution - or have a uke in ADF#B tuning. However, sometimes the E chord just can't be avoided. Occasionally if the song calls for an E chord you might get away with an E7 but there are times when only an E chord will do. A combination of age and small hands means I have never really found a comfortable way of playing either 1402 which is just too much of a stretch for me or 4442 which again, I have tried all sorts of ways of trying to finger it and not really found one that's satisfactory. If I have to play E, I either use 4447 which simply means putting a bar across the 4th fret and your pinky three frets further up. This is also moveable - 3336 give Eb and 2227 D. or if it's a bit of a quickie change, I play 444x - bar or three fingers on the 4th fret and mute the A string by resting the pinkie lightly on it.

Choirguy

12-29-2016, 10:41 AM

Just keep working E in its many variants...with practice you will start to get them.

philrab66

12-29-2016, 10:53 AM

Hi all. I'm trying to tackle the dreaded E chord and wondered if any of you can suggest some good practice songs. I always find learning songs is the best way to practice. Having read Sticky's thread, I'm going with the 1402 version of the E chord. Just need to put it into action.

Try putting your first finger on second fret first string then put your 3rd finger on the 4th fret on the e&c string then your 2nd finger on the 4th of the g string. I find that really easy.

acmespaceship

12-29-2016, 11:07 AM

Go here: chordie.com

Find any song you like.

Transpose it to the key of E.

Rllink

12-29-2016, 12:10 PM

Go here: chordie.com

Find any song you like.

Transpose it to the key of E.Spot on, just put a song in the key of E and play it. My personal attitude is to learn to play the E chord and quit calling it dreaded. It is just another chord. It is a D chord moved up the neck a couple of frets. Yes, you have to stick a finger down there on the A string. Big deal. The thing is, the E is not going to be the hardest chord that you will to run into, might as well learn to buckle down and learn how to do things.

Gammo

12-29-2016, 12:14 PM

Never talk politics, religion or the e chord. I think it's the only thing that could cause a brawl at a ukulele festival (that and talking about straps). This is why I want to learn it so much.

I'm going for the 1402 because its the only one that I can even get to sound like a chord. Practice, practice, practice.

robinboyd

12-29-2016, 12:40 PM

Well, I try to avoid 1402 if possible, but there is one song that forced me to use it. Try 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins. http://www.ukulele-tabs.com/uke-songs/smashing-pumpkins/1979-uke-tab-19.html
I experimented with this song a bit, and I play F#m instead of F#m7, though. Not only is it easier to play, I think it sounds better.

I probably should have included this for reference....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkfFIPxLQhA

Choirguy

12-29-2016, 03:02 PM

I do have to admit...every time I am at a jam where chord functions (I or 1, 5-7 or V7, etc.) are used, and someone asks, "What key should we do this in?" I always say, "E!!!"

People generally ignore me.

zztush

12-29-2016, 05:04 PM

I think you just need to change key from C to E. The three chords will change as follow.

I *usually* prefer playing B7 as 4320 (BD#F#A) versus 2322 (AD#F#B)...it doesn't make much harmonic difference as both chords are in the second inversion. But when I play a B7 going to Em...B7 with 4320 is an easier transition to Em 0432

However, as shown by zztush, if you play E (major) as 1402 or 4447, B7 as 2322 is easier.

I find the 4442 version of E the hardest to play because my middle, ring, and pinky fingers don't like being so close together. When I play D (2220) I usually play in a pyramid like G7. There's only so much space there! :D

A great song to practice that E is "My Favorite Things." In my own arrangement in Em, the third verse ("Girls in White Dresses") is lead into by a B7...and then you have to play E instead of an Em. Shortly thereafter the song returns to its minor key.

zztush

12-29-2016, 05:52 PM

Hi, Choirguy!

I think your 432x may be 4320, and 222x may be 2220. I am not really sure though.

A great song to practice that E is "My Favorite Things." In my own arrangement in Em, the third verse ("Girls in White Dresses") is lead into by a B7...and then you have to play E instead of an Em. Shortly thereafter the song returns to its minor key.

I'll put a vote in for Oh Darling by The Beatles as a good practice song... and just a great song generally :)

willisoften

12-30-2016, 02:32 AM

I can personally play the 4442 without any bother but the 1402 drives me nuts, the 4447 isn't too bad but certain combinations make stumble.

C Am F G7 goes
E C#m A B7 and to be honest thats as far as I'm competent to play in E

I don't find the E chord comes up all that often for me so I don't give it regular attention. For me the most common PITA is actually D to Em I'm drowning in Drunken Sailors and Waheyed till nothing rises up in the morning .

Tootler

12-30-2016, 03:38 AM

I don't find the E chord comes up all that often for me so I don't give it regular attention. For me the most common PITA is actually D to Em I'm drowning in Drunken Sailors and Waheyed till nothing rises up in the morning .

I'm much the same. If I do find I need to play in E, I either capo 2 or play my ADF#B tuned soprano and play D shapes. I notice a few of my guitarist friends do the same.

In getting Hallelujah into a singable key (for me) I found I needed an E chord. I tried 444x and also E7. I thought E7 sounded better and it made transition to and from the surrounding chords so I went with E7. I was lucky on that occasion because E7 doesn't always work.

I got comfortable with Em by playing G and putting my pinky down on the third string and even now I finger Em with 2nd, 3rd & 4th fingers and I find that also makes D to Em easier. I've recently been trying to play Em with the first three fingers as it's a bit easier on the baritone that way but it's taking time because I often resort to the 2 3 4 finger method.

Rllink

12-30-2016, 03:47 AM

I can personally play the 4442 without any bother but the 1402 drives me nuts, the 4447 isn't too bad but certain combinations make stumble.

C Am F G7 goes
E C#m A B7 and to be honest thats as far as I'm competent to play in E

I don't find the E chord comes up all that often for me so I don't give it regular attention. For me the most common PITA is actually D to Em I'm drowning in Drunken Sailors and Waheyed till nothing rises up in the morning .
I have big fingers and I've always played the D chord with my middle, ring, and pinkie fingers. That leaves my index finger free to sneak down and find the A string. Over time I've gotten to anchoring that A string just as I make the chord change, then I slide it up to where ever I want. It sounds complicated, but actually it isn't, and it has helped getting into the E and the E minor pretty easy. I walk my fingers into the chords that way a lot, and as often as not, I have a finger anchored somewhere in the process. It is not something I do consciously, it just started on its own.

The E chord, to me it is a movable D chord, and once you learn to think of it as such, that A string is all you have to worry about. Also, when you think about it, when you are doing that movable D, that gives you your E, an F, a G, and so on up the neck, dropping the finger on the C string back two frets with the finger on the A string gives you your diminished chords, your minor 6th chords, and a lot of seventh chords. So you see, owning that E is just the first step to a treasure chest for chords. Not being familiar with it puts all those chords out of your reach as well, and most of those are not key or E chords, they are going to show up in all the keys.

willisoften

12-30-2016, 05:08 AM

I have big fingers and I've always played the D chord with my middle, ring, and pinkie fingers. That leaves my index finger free to sneak down and find the A string. Over time I've gotten to anchoring that A string just as I make the chord change, then I slide it up to where ever I want. It sounds complicated, but actually it isn't, and it has helped getting into the E and the E minor pretty easy. I walk my fingers into the chords that way a lot, and as often as not, I have a finger anchored somewhere in the process. It is not something I do consciously, it just started on its own.

Me too - although my fingers aren't that big, I don't really walk to the E or Em from D but I definitely seek the A string with my index and seek to lead / anchor with my littlest finger. Sometimes when I'm playing well, some chord transitions just seem to happen, that's what I want all of the time, I'd also like to stop being surprised when that happens too :)

Gammo

01-08-2017, 09:31 PM

For anyone that's interested I've found a couple of good practice songs (both thanks to TenThumbs Productions on youtube. That guy's awesome!). 1st one is House of The Rising Sun using the 1402 E chord and 2nd is Country Roads using the 4442 e chord. Now just practice, practice, practice and hopefully at least one of them sticks (if not both).

Mezcalero

01-11-2017, 07:46 AM

I made up my own little progression in 4/4 time playing E 2 measures D 2 measures A 2 measures E 2 measures and just repeat that over and over every day as a warm up exercise. If your capable of doing it, I like using barre technique for E, middle finger only for D.